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Those who have never had back surgery and don’t make a living bent at the waist — moving as fast as they can, battling for pucks, and twisting and turning in three directions at the same time — were questioning Jason Spezza’s toughness and courage.

Why wasn’t he in the lineup weeks after he was expected to return? Exactly how bad was the setback? Was an outside influence advising him to wait until next year? Was there another issue (management shot down the rumour he had a knee scoped in April) nobody knew about? Was it an age thing that set apart the 29-year-old from comeback kids Jared Cowen and Erik Karlsson?

What was the real reason the Senators were starting the playoffs without their much-needed No. 1 centre?

Likely, the only story we will ever know is the one we assumed to be true and could very well be — that after two operations, Spezza simply wanted to make sure his back was 110% before playing in a game.

The one theory that can definitely be crossed off the list is his lack of toughness.

When Pittsburgh’s Craig Adams demolished Spezza along the boards in the seventh minute of overtime in his first game back, everybody in the building held their breath. How could he possibly get up from that? If nothing else, the guy surely suffered severe whiplash. His head went back like he was about to drive a motorcycle under a bridge and forgot to duck.

But no, Spezza popped to his feet, shook his head once and skated to the bench, albeit in a bit of a fog. As he sat down, trainer Gerry Townend asked him if he was alright. Spezza merely replied “yeah.”

The morning after Ottawa’s 2-1 double-overtime victory for the ages, Spezza reported he and his back had survived a workload of 18:40 “no worse for wear.”

Go ahead, people. It’s safe to breathe again.

“I think it felt as bad as it looked,” Spezza said with a grin. “We talked about it for two days (previously), if I’d be able to take a hit, and I guess that was a good test for me. Might be the hardest one I’ve taken in my career.

“It feels good that I can wake up this morning and feel like I can keep truckin’ along. So definitely I’m encouraged by the way my body feels today.”

Spezza was a minus-1, had four shots on goal and was wide with two others — the latter an area the Senators need to improve, as they dominated it 21-16 in Game 3.

Coach Paul MacLean was pleased with Spezza’s play, and added the good news is “he’ll only get better.”

“I think I can improve everywhere,” he said. “I felt more comfortable with the puck as the game went on. I think my legs will feel better, my timing will feel better. I think everything will kind of slowly feel better, and the reading of the play is a big thing, when you miss that much time. The sooner that comes back, the better it is for me.”

Jumping straight into second-round speed and intensity isn’t the “ideal” way to come back, Spezza noted.

“I’d like to have a few weeks of games before playing in games with such high stakes,” he said. “I tried to keep my game a little simpler (Sunday), times where I maybe would have held on and made plays, I tried to get the puck on the net.

“It’s going to be a different game for me. I’m playing more of a third-line role here to start, trying to be good on the draws ... as I feel more and more comfortable and evolve, I’ll just try to help where I can. But it’s definitely a different situation than if I had been playing all year.

“I’m playing against guys that are at the top of their game right now and I haven’t played in four months. There’s obvious challenges, but I feel I can help.”

It’s all about the mindset.

“You almost think less, because you’re just so focused on getting to the puck and doing everything,” said Spezza. “It’s real rushed out there. When I’m playing a lot and playing well, the game kind of slows down for me. I’m more of a thinker than a skater in the first place. The more I can slow the game down in my head and see the play will add to me being a better player.”

Time is ticking, but at least the Senators have a little more of it to work with now.

THIS AND THAT

Colin Greening surely made Newfoundland proud when he scored the winning goal that keeps alive the chances of advancement for Canada’s only remaining team. When asked if his big left winger was now a star in his home town of St. John’s, MacLean was quick with the quip. “I would say absolutely he is,” said MacLean. “He’s a star in my house, I know that. And at Merivale he’s a star, where my mother is, I know that for sure. Colin is very proud of where he’s from and I’m sure they’re very proud of him today. He’s really making his way in the Stanley Cup playoffs.” MacLean pointed out he also coached another Newfoundlander in Detroit — Dan Cleary. “He also played very well and was very committed in the playoffs,” said MacLean. “It’s a little bit of where they’re from, involved in that.” ... Erik Karlsson played 39:48 — the second biggest workload of his career — in his strong bounce-back from a disastrous Game 2. “It wasn’t enough,” the cheery Ottawa defenceman joked after the double-overtime victory. “I was telling Greener after, why did you have to end it so soon?” ... Naturally, Karlsson felt bad taking a penalty in the second-last minute of regulation time and knowing t all eyes were glaring at him “on the little box” that’s the sin bin’s TV camera. But he did celebrate when Daniel Alfredsson’s dramatic goal tied the game. “Yeah, in the box, by myself,” said Karlsson

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Walk a mile in Jason Spezza's shoes

Those who have never had back surgery and don’t make a living bent at the waist — moving as fast as they can, battling for pucks, and twisting and turning in three directions at the same time — were questioning Jason Spezza’s toughness and courage.

Why wasn’t he in the lineup weeks after he was expected to return? Exactly how bad was the setback? Was an outside influence advising him to wait until next year? Was there another issue (management shot down the rumour he had a knee scoped in April) nobody knew about? Was it an age thing that set apart the 29-year-old from comeback kids Jared Cowen and Erik Karlsson?

What was the real reason the Senators were starting the playoffs without their much-needed No. 1 centre?